Portage Bay Cafe in Ballard

Amazing organic local food with fresh fruit topping bar for pancakes, French toast etc. highly recommended but got to make sure the A team is cooking. Been a few times when the food is a B– but that’s being very picky.
–JK

Came here for mother’s day brunch and it was absolutely delicious. I had the Bananas Foster French Toast which I could eat again and again, and the breakfast bar made it even better with the whipped cream and berries. Yum! Love the coffee for people waiting for a table.

I love this place. I didn’t like the wait before, but with the reservations system, it’s made it a lot easier to love this place again. The wait staff is congenial and remembers us, I hope in good ways, and the food is always stellar. I don’t think there’s anything I’ve had there that I haven’t liked, but my son, especially, loves the French toast with fruit bar visit.

Most overrated meal in Seattle. The «fruit bar» is all that cheap syrupy crap from a can. And anytime I’ve ordered an egg dish, it’s been cold. Gross. I gave them chances. They only ended in disappointment. And now I laugh at all the chumps waiting forever in line on Saturday and Sunday mornings while I’m on my way to much better breakfast.

Beyonddddd delicious. AMAZING gluten free bread. They had a loaf left they were trying to make last but since my husband and I were flying back to Columbus that day they let us buy a loaf. They are pricey but you are getting sustainable local ingredients and the meal is large enough to split. My husband and I split the juevos rancheros. Their menu even notes where they source their products. Reminded me of the Portlandia episode where the couple drives to the chicken farm where their chicken comes from. Ha

I used to frequent this place when I lived in Seattle, and when I came back for a visit, it was the logical choice for brunch. The experience was pretty wretched, and the only thing giving it 2 instead of 1 star is that one of the three of us had a good experience and I remember that it used to be good.
First, the waiting experience. I made reservations, but, as usual, they don’t actually seat you when your reservation time comes. You’ll get seated sometime within a 15 minute window of it, which isn’t that bad when you consider all of the people milling about (running into you, spilling your coffee, etc). It is a chaotic mess to get seated, reservations or not, but I STRONGLY recommend reservations.
Then there’s the food… I ordered the West Coast Benedict, which is a vegetarian eggs benedict option. The hollandaise sauce was stone cold. Not warm, not lukewarm… COLD. I ate it, thinking this was some sort of weird thing they do at Portage Bay because I had not had benedict there before. But then I started to get nervous. Hollandaise sauce is something that has to be kept properly because it can spoil easier than most other sauces. Bad hollandaise sauce is the stuff of nightmares.
So then we come to service… I asked the server about why my dish was cold, and she seemed confused. First, she tried to tell me that the tomatoes and spinach make the sauce cold (???), but then she acknowledged that someone else had commented the sauce was cold. She went off and came back to tell us that it «looked the same.» She assured me I wouldn’t end up violently ill on my 5 hour trip back to Spokane, but no effort was made to actually apologize for selling me food that wasn’t prepared correctly. (And god forbid they don’t nickel and dime you senselessly, so no discount.)
But the service issues don’t stop there. My husband’s entrée was supposed to come with a choice of fruit or potatoes. In the chaos of ordering (and all of the people milling about), he forgot to specify he wanted fruit, and he realized after the fact that the server had not asked about it. When his entrée came with potatoes, he politely told her that he had intended to have fruit instead of potatoes, so she brought him fruit — which she, of course, charged him for.
He also got a cup of coffee from the waiting area… which was not topped off AT ALL during the entire meal. To add insult to injury, the cup of coffee cost $ 3! So, basically he paid $ 3 for the remnants of the coffee pot at the front and was never offered any refills. And people harsh Starbucks for being overpriced!
Toward the end of the meal, my husband was eating slower than the rest of us, and one of the floating servers tried to take his plate before he was even done. We had to tell her to stand down. I got the distinct impression that we were spending too long at the table. They do have a lengthy wait, I suppose.
The whole meal came to almost $ 60, which was completely absurd. The food was ok (well, mine was cold), and the service was awful. There was nothing worth $ 60 here. I am terribly disappointed by this experience because I used to have a soft spot for Portage Bay. I don’t mind paying for a meal well received, but this was garbage.
I suppose the silver lining is that the server was right — I was not violently ill from questionable hollandaise on my road trip. So, there’s that…

Love the fruit topping bar, good family breakfast place in Ballard. Service is friendly and coffee is from Fonte.

I’m not a gluten-​free girl, but my daughter is, so I was drawn to Portage Bay because they are seriously the ONLY restaurant that serves gluten-​free pancakes AND French toast. My daughter ordered the gluten-​free banana pancakes, and they were absolutely delicious! I ordered the Joe’s scramble (their version of Joe’s Special) which was decent, but being from San Francisco I’m a bit picky about that dish. The potatoes were good; very crispy and they had a nice hot sauce selection on the table. I was a bit disappointed with the toast; it was sliced too thick so I felt like I was eating a lump of wheat bread. I’ll definitely go back for those yummy pancakes, though! Also, the pancake topping bar is a fun idea and the service was excellent for a busy Sunday morning.

I really love this place. We went here for our second visit after a huge wait at a nearby café that didn’t even have a wait list it was so chaotic. Even with plenty of people crowded in the waiting area, we were seated in less than 15 min during busy brunch rush at our favorite spot (the counter). They also take reservations!
The food is so good. We had the brunch specials brunch en croute and tiramisu crêpe (with a trip to the berry bar). Their coffee is very good which is a must and is promptly refilled even though we drink a lot of it, quickly. I love their homemade jam that’s on the table for your toast. Everything just tastes fresh and homemade here which is a big plus.
We love sitting at the counter because we get to watch the cooking and prep which is pretty impressive. I love seeing all the fresh veggies and sauces going into the food and the controlled chaos of the expert staff in the kitchen.
I like going to new places and not eating at the same place twice if possible but this restaurant keeps us coming back. This is where we would bring our friends from out of town for brunch for a great, consistent experience.

I’ve been to this Portage Bay location a couple times and I’m a fan! The portions are huge, the food is organic and local, and they have a lot of vegetarian options.
The Farmer’s Hash is to die for. A big plate piled high with sautéed seasonal veggies, topped with 3 eggs — sooo good (and you’ll have leftovers). Yesterday I tried the West Coast Eggs Benedict and it was also phenomenal, however the crispy rosemary breakfast potatoes happened to be my favorite thing on the plate.
It was Easter Sunday and the place was packed, so we chose to sit at the counter. When sitting at the bar you get a view of the chefs/​cooks/​prep cooks making all of the food, which was cool to see. There was one man in particular that I want to compliment — he was behind the scenes doing a lot of the prep work (taking things out of the oven, preparing the roasted potatoes, etc). When he saw my boyfriend and I watching him work, he gave us a really big friendly smile and nod (one that you don’t forget). It made me think about how grateful I was that these people were working instead of being with their families on Easter Sunday. So, thank you nice man for the warm smile and for working to prepare a meal we really enjoyed!

Food is absolutely killer. Haven’t had a single item here that I didn’t like. 9 times out of 10 though I’m getting Bananas Foster French toast. The breakfast bar is a nice addition too.
Why 3 stars? Service isn’t great, and even if you have a reservation you are still waiting an additional 30 minutes to your reservation time to get seated. I would never try to walk in here.
Only other gripe is they don’t have a full bar so their Bloody Mary is made with sake and their beer selection is reduced to cans and bottles only and are $ 5 a piece.

Finally visited «a» Portage Bay Café after all these years of living in Seattle. It was pretty awesome that I could make a reservation online for Sunday brunch despite how packed the place was. Our party of four were immediately seated upon arriving at the restaurant, only had to wait a couple of minutes for the staff to reset the table.
It’s been a while, but I think I had the Farmer’s Hash and it was delicious! We also helped ourselves to the breakfast bar that was kept clean and organized throughout our meal.
I will definitely go back to this location again but will also want to try out the other locations. Probably will save the University location for last as it’s always jam-​packed whenever I drove by.

I like portage bay. This location can fill up quite quickly on a weekend, as with the other locations. I like that their ingredients are fresh and seasonal. Portions are generally large. I had a scramble and also got to try their biscuits and gravy. Overall, a very satisfying meal and leftovers to take home.

The food here was excellent. It is busy, a little cramped, and not very comfortable. It’s a little pricey but the quality is worth it and the portions are large — enough to split really. They have a fairly large menu and I like that they obtain much of their ingredients from local sources.
If you enjoy a great breakfast out then definitely give this place a shot at least once.

I think Portage Bay is alright to pretty good. They put brunch in Seattle on the map and was the first place (I knew of) with lines out the door for breakfast.
I’ve been here a spattering of times over the years and each way I walk away thinking the same thing.
«Dang, that was a lot of money for_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​»
The service is no-​nonsense but friendly enough which I like. The food is healthful and the ingredients are high quality. Just know that you’ll be paying $ 10 for eggs, bacon, toast, and potatoes or $ 13 for pancakes. I dunno, I just think the prices are too high for what they offer. With that being said, it’s a good spot and it satisfies that granola-​y breakfast/​lunch urge.

The place is seat yourself, which is nice. The staff are really nice and are great at describing whatever food sounds good. The food is good and tastes fresh. Only reason for 4 stars is the place was cold! Not very warm and with a cold rainy day like today heat would’ve been refreshing.

This review was written at the height of the recession. The prices seem more in line with what’s out there. The food is still incredibly over-​rated, uninspired, and greasy. Not what you’d expect from a place that bills itself as using healthy, local, and organic foods. Recommend finding somewhere else!

RESV is a must for this busy location. RESV are made easy online on their website with a convenient text the day of your RESV to query if you are still planning to dine.
I enjoyed the open seating area with the breakfast bar centered in the middle. Seating is a little squishy, but cozy!
Service was fantastic! I enjoyed the friendly service of our waitress especially. Great recommendations and answers to our many questions.
Food portions are HUGE! I’m glad I went with a group bc we enjoyed sharing our tasty morsels =D

Really love the food here but left with a $ 45 dollar bill for two juices and the ranchers breakfast… I guess there’s a $ 6 charge for splitting a breakfast with another person. If our server would have told us that there was such a charge we definitely would have taken our clearly low on funds college selfs out of there. The price made the entire meal not worth it.

I’m usually pretty forgiving. But when I go out for food, I want it to be something I can’t do well on my own. I do breakfast quite well, but it’s rarely more than eggs and bacon or an omelet, so when I went to Portage Bay with a friend visiting from DC for the first time last week, I was hoping for a little something more.
I got a pretty basic meal: 3 eggs, fried potatoes, my choice of meat (ham steak, peppered bacon, or sausage), and whole wheat toast. I went with ham steak, because I don’t often have that at home.
The potatoes were abundant and crispy, but so saturated in oil, bland, and dry inside. The toast was also dry and dense, and barely toasted. I drank a ton of water and had to ask for jam to help get the bread down. The «ham» steak was a pork chop – flavorless, dry, and likely at least a day old. Ham=pork, but pork does not necessarily equal ham. This was not ham. This meal sadly needed a heavy dose of salt, which helped the flavor, but not the dryness.
My eggs were cooked perfectly, so obviously there’s skill involved, but the ingredients I was served were lacking.
My friend seemed to really enjoy her Huevos Rancheros, but at $ 13 plus an extra $ 3.50 for chorizo plus coffee (plain), it set her back $ 20.
The service was decent, but all in all, Portage Bay isn’t worth going to for me. Their pancakes/​crepes/​waffles looked good though.

My first brunch experience in Seattle.
I would highly recommend making a reservation because things get pretty hectic here.
Loved the breakfast bar! I ordered pancakes and I was able take my plate there to add all the topping in the world.
I’ll be getting the french toast next time I’m there.

Okay, lets be real: there pretty much isn’t going to be any place on planet earth that has better french toast than this place, and the eggs benedict is freaking amazing.
Things to note:
–You need to make a reservation beforehand, and it can get pretty busy in there.
Pro-​tip:
–If you want to make your french toast an extra 3% more delicious, cut a slice in it before pouring the syrup on so it soaks the insides. MMMMM!

Yay, I’m a fan! Because I’m a fan of Portage. If I were rating this purely on the food, this would probably dock off another star for this location.
It was my first time at this location, and I came in for a quick simple breakfast before my shift nearby on Friday mornings. It was 8 am and not busy. I ordered 2 sunny side up eggs, bacon, and coffee. Bacon was great, but overpriced for 4 $ (side of bacon). The eggs were not cooked all the way through… and yes, sunny side up is runny yolks, but the whites should be SET. There was some clear jelly part left near the yolks, which should have been cooked. Also the quality of the eggs was poor, because the yolks were light yellow vs orange or dark yellow.
I appreciated the quick service and the attentiveness of my waitress, Hannah, who could tell I was just stopping by quick for some grub, and didn’t have time to spend hanging out.
The coffee and cream is always grand, I had refills :) I’ll be back, but I’ll be always be wary… as I know this Portage location has the worst track record for food quality and service.

Walked down the street to Portage Bay Café for brunch on a Sunday morning and there were already so many people waiting for a table. We were quoted about 45 minutes-​1 hour for a table of four. Decided to around the locks and come back to check on our table about 45 minutes later… there was bar seating available or, at least, another 20 minutes for a table. We settled on the bar – it is a little awkward because its not easy to converse in a line but I think we were just hungry. I ordered the Bourbon Bacon Apple Oven-​baked French Toast, that was a mouthful to say. I just wanted french toast so I could utilize the pancake/​french toast bar, piling up on fresh fruit sounded good. The french toast was too dense and heavy for my preference, I was expecting more fluffy french toast. I was getting a lot of apple flavor but not bourbon or bacon, I had to search in order to taste that bacon. I can’t finish it because it was too filling. I wished I got something more savory rather than sweet.

Came here on our last day in Seattle for brunch and we did not know that it was by reservations only… BUT, the staff was super accommodating after my friend’s aunt talked to them about how we are from California and heard so much about this place and really wanted to have it as our brunch before we leave Seattle. They ended up seating us at the bar seats on the side, which we didn’t mind at all!
My cousin & I got the Rancher’s breakfast plate and split it and we were full! Two of my friends got the banana fosters French toast which I got to try a little of and it was delicious and my other friend got the smoked salmon Benedict and he said it was really good! We were so grateful that they let us in! It was definitely worth the hour wait for the bar and next time we will be sure to make reservations beforehand !

I’m incredibly disappointed and more than a littler perturbed.
I reserved seats for brunch at 1015am this morning via the Unilocal site for my sister in law and I. That’s the first star of the two stars given.
After looking over pictures online, reading reviews and asking friends for their recommendations I knew coming in that I was getting the crab benedict. There was a moment where I teetered on going for the Migas instead but I chose to stick with my original decision.
Too bad. Too freakin’ bad. I know a benedict like the back of my hand. I’ve been a fan of this dish since I was 9 years old. Expecting a soft english muffin, saturated with a heaping dose of both hollandaise sauce and yoke-​I was sourly mistaken. Putting my fork through the poached egg usually renders a graceful slide of semi running yolk that merges with said hollandaise sauce, penetrating through the toughness of the english muffin causing the effect of an easy slice through the entire concoction with a fork. Sadly this was not the case, for there was no run in my yolk. The middle of my eggs were overly done, causing a soft boiled-​hard center instead. Unimpressed. I was taken aback even more so by the stingy restricted measure that was put on the amount of hollandaise provided.
The english muffin was left to be just a raw, tough english muffin barely wet. The potatoes were good. The hollandaise was sweet and almost perfect, I just wished for more. At 18 $, I just had higher hopes.
My sister in law was SO disgruntled at her medicare scramble that she was adamant about not coming back. She has actually been to the other locations and has had the same exact thing and stated that it was so far below what she’d had before that while this is actually the closest location to her casa, she’ll never come again.
The second star is for the sweetness of the staff. For the volume that they were dealing with, no one was rude and the service was spot on.

I’m so sad to give Portage Bay in Ballard 2 stars. We visited on a Tuesday late morning and the service was lackluster and the usual dishes were as well. The oatmeal cobbler French toast was lacking in its usual pizzazz and the berry bar has shrunk considerably. The migas had a great taste but there was so much water inside the tortilla, I had to drain off the excess into my napkin.
I don’t know if my waitress was tired or sick but waiting 20 minutes to order when it’s not busy is unacceptable and equally for refills on no ice for the ice tea/​water. I truly felt like we were a burden to her. I am deeply disappointed because typically the service is outstanding. I found at later that the waitress was sick and spending time in the restroom. Seriously awful.
I come here once a month because it’s my absolute favorite and I live locally. Looks like I’ll need to find and recommend an alternative. For the prices, there is an expectation that the product and service should match.

We made a reservation for this place and we still ended up waiting but only for about 20 minutes.
I do agree with the other reviews and there should be a second bathroom. Although my friend got taken to a different one when the long got really long. So there may be a second one no one knows about!
I got the coconut pancakes and they tasted amazing. I shared with a friend since the portions are rather large and they were nice enough to put the pancakes on separate plates for us! I wasn’t a fan of the peach spread thing that they put on top though. Since we got pancakes we got to go to the breakfast bar! Okay so if you start from left to right please read the signs I didn’t and ended up with a giant scoop of whipped butter when i thought it was whipped cream –_​– fail on my part. The fruit was fresh and delicious and the whip cream topped it all off.
My friend got the mushroom frittata and it looked and tasted amazing when I tried to sneak a few bites. He did raved about the bread like some of the other people that reviewed this place.
My only complaint is that we sat by the window and it was kind of a chilly day. When we asked to close the window the servers told us that we couldn’t close it since it gets really warm on the other side of the restaurant. I sat with my jacket on the whole time :[

I don’t understand why they take reservations at all.
We made a reservation for 11:45 on a Sunday morning and we weren’t seated until 12:30. They assured me the wait would be 10 mins when I arrived– and we just waited and waited and waited along with the 50 other people who walked up and tried to snag a table.
We had never been there before– so had no idea that weekend mornings are the ABSOLUTE busiest time for PBC. What a mess. There were people sitting outside the restaurant on the sidewalk. The line for the single restroom they had was six people deep.
Food was good and table service was prompt.
Lesson learned– a reservation here for brunch on the weekend is absolutely pointless.

A fantastic breakfast. The service was good too.
We came here with promise of a «design your own» sort of station if you order pancakes, French toast, and the like.
The Swedish pancakes come with a berry compote and berry butter that takes it from 6 to midnight (makes it awesome). Then, they give you free range to put on your own toppings like nuts, fruits, syrup, coconut, etc. most excellent
The banana pancakes (gluten free and vegan) are pretty dense, but have a great crust on the outside, and are really tasty for a GF item.
Do it. Go here. Eat like you give a darn.

How I heard of this place: As long as I have been in Seattle I have known about the Portage Bay Café in the University District. This PBC was recommended by a friend who lives in the neighborhood when we were looking for a good spot to brunch.
Type of cuisine: Food sourced from local, clean and sustainable farms and producers. Type of cuisine you would choose if you give a damn.
Ambiance: Very casual and simple. The space is expansive, open, full of natural light and very modern. The space, with large windows and high ceilings, wooden chairs, booths and tables reminiscent of the older café in the U-​District, yet full of upgrades and clean lines.
What I ordered: Looking for something with protein, yet wanted a trip to the toppings bar since it had been about five years since my last visit to a PBC, the Rancher’s Breakfast ($ 16.50) it was! Three eggs, served any style (I chose over-​medium) with pepper bacon, and herb-​roasted potatoes, and my choice of one, large classic pancake — organic bluebird grain farms heirloom wheat, organic yogurt, brown sugar and vanilla, — and one thick slice of classic French toast. My dining companion chose the Classic French Toast ($ 11.50) with house-​made challah bread, rich egg batter, and a cinnamon garnish.
What I loved: The roasted potatoes, abundance of fruit at the toppings bar and plethora of food, keeping me satisfied and allowing for leftovers to take to my hubby for our breakfast for dinner.
Why I loved it: Huge portions, open setting, toppings bar.
Cost: Average ($ 9.50 — $ 16.50 per breakfast plate)

On a whim we decided to drive to Seattle for brunch cause we crazy. Asked Google for best brunch places and this place popped up so we said why nah?
!
After driving said 4hrs we arrived and the line warped all the way around the corner. Mothers and children and non humans were crammed up against the wall, thank god we made a reservation on open table because this place is PACKED!
Since we were 10 mins late we only had to wait 10mins. Waitress seated us promptly and the area is very wide and open at least up in the ceiling, I can’t say so much for seating.
They have a self serve French toast bar which I think is brilliant!
A big Nono is that they only have ONE BATHROOM and its unisex. Friggin this place has a high rating from zaggat but when you’re this popular and there’s only one toilet… no just no! So aside from the food line the bathroom line is long too.
They also have sriacha but it’s not the typical one you see at phở restaurants, this sauce was more runny and tangy than your typical. I actually like it very much!
I got the Dungeoness Crab Benedict which comes with hollandaise lemon sauce and amazing house herby roasted potatoes. Ps-​They need to put more potatoes on the plate!
As far as generosity you really do get what you pay for, at $ 17 the crab cake is loaded with crab there’s not many fillers like you might find with other crab cake. The poached eggs and crab were served over wood grilled English muffins which added a smokiness to the meal. Needless to say that meal was soul quenching, I wanted more but my stomach went kaputz.
Go here for brunch but make a reservation using open table first!

My girlfriend and I decided to try Portage Bay Café for brunch last Sunday morning. We weren’t sure which location to try, but we opted for the Ballard location because we thought parking might be easier (it was).
We arrived fairly early in the morning, so we were seated as soon as we came in. I’m glad we got there when we did, because tons of people started arriving shortly after.
We were seated at a counter which faced their open kitchen. We both really enjoyed getting to see how all of the dishes were made. Everything coming out of the kitchen looked awesome. We ended up choosing these dishes:
Whiskey Pecan French Toast —
This was an item on their seasonal menu and it included a trip to the breakfast bar. The french toast was amazing. I really enjoyed the textural contrast between the fluffy challah bread and the crunchy pecans, and the flavor contrast between the sweet whiskey syrup and the savory toast and pecans.
The Breakfast Bar —
What a cool concept. If you order a french toast or pancake dish, you can take your plate to the bar and load it up with as much fruit, nuts, syrup, and whipped cream as you want. My girlfriend opted for fresh strawberries, raspberry and blackberry compote, and whipped cream. While the compotes tasted good, I would prefer if they had a larger selection of fresh fruit (the only fresh berries they had that morning were the strawberries).
Migas —
I’m from Texas, so I’m always a bit hesitant to order Tex-​Mex outside of Texas. When our server brought out the plate of migas, I started shaking my head. They were definitely NOT Tex-​Mex migas. Generally, migas are srambled eggs with crispy strips of corn tortillas and other tasty things mixed in. Restaurants will give you soft tortillas for you to scoop the eggs into, so you can makes tacos. The migas at Portage were really more of a breakfast quesadilla (see picture). That being said, whatever it was tasted amazing. All of the flavors came to the party: the creaminess of the avocado, the spice of the salsa, the smokiness of the chiptole, the zest of the sour cream, the sweet and savory tastes of the chicken apple sausage (we added this extra). Everything about this dish was outstanding. Even the potatoes on the side tasted great.
Our server was really nice, and she brought our food in a timely manner. Everything about this place was really cool. My girlfriend even noted that the bathroom walls had posters for upcoming local events, and the posters all seemed to be current.
We will definitely come back again for brunch.

This review is going to mimic my review of the U District Portage Bay, but only because I must reiterate: Portage Bay, your menu is ridiculous. I still want to order everything off your menu. You make it so so difficult for me to order.
I had a crazy good omelette, and was tempted by the mimosa, but was heading to work so resisted. I enjoy every breakfast date I have at Portage Bay in either location, and I can’t wait to return again. Breakfast here is always a good reason to get up early, even for a night owl like me.